Can't Sleep? The holistic way to beat Insomnia.

Written by Kathryn Savage

It’s 2 a.m. and you’re seriously contemplating ordering a Total Gym, the infomercial is way too convincing. There are brownies in the fridge and you’re trying to resist. It’s early, you can’t sleep, and you’re not alone. Millions of people suffer from insomnia. So what can you do? Assuming there are no underlying causes like a sleep disorder, it’s probably a combination of stress, poor eating habits and a lack of exercise standing between you and your eight hours.

Focus on improving healthy habits during the day, and get to sleep at night!
A recent report suggests that moderate exercise can improve insomnia. Acute aerobic exercise during the day might reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality according to a recent study authored by Giselle S. Passos, of Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Cut Caffeine
Caffeine intake can lead to difficulty sleeping. Limit coffee to one cup a day. And replace caffeinated soda with water, herbal tea or at the very least swap Mountain Dew for a caffeine free soda like Sprite.

Don’t eat a big meal right before bed.
Numerous studies suggest that eating a big meal can cause insomnia. Big meals should be consumed earlier in the day. Ideally, your smallest meal should be dinner.

Behavioral therapy vs. drugs?
We at Blue Zones are big believers in a holistic approach to health care. Before you fill that prescription, look at your habits and your environment. What can you change in your day to day life that might lead to a better nights sleep? Noisy neighbors? Buy earplugs. Not getting enough exercise? See if a daily bike ride, or jog improves your sleep patterns. Eating a big dinner? Cut your portions in half and see if this helps. While those sleep aids will work for the short term, insomnia is often a symptom of a larger lifestyle problem. Reducing stress, late night calories, and increasing physical activity may be the best long term solution.

From the Experts: Does exercise and going to a gym help you live longer?

Written by Siddarth Saikia

We continue our From the Experts series by quizzing Dr. RobertKane about exercise, gymming and their benefits for longevity.

Dr. Robert Kane, M.D, is director of the Center on Aging and the Minnesota Geriatric Education Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis

Today's Question:

What about going to the gym? Wouldt that add more quality years to our lives?

Robert Kane: Exercise has several quite distinct functions. You have cardio-vascular exercise, which we describe as aerobic exercise, which increases your body's capacity to process oxygen. That's where you go out and work really hard and raise your heart rate. Swimming would be a good way to get that kind of exercise.

There's also anti-gravity exercise. For example, if you're trying to prevent osteoporosis, swimming is not a good thing to do, because it doesn't increase the strength of your bones. There, working against gravity, walking, standing does more to increase bone metabolism than swimming does.
Then there are balance exercises-those designed to improve your balance. Tai Chi is one people talk about, or yoga. Those are exercises that have been associated with reducing the risk of falls.

FEATURE: Five Ways to Set Up Your House To Help You Move More Naturally

Written by Kathryn Savage

Exercise is great for our health and walking after you eat is wonderful for healthy digestion. So how can we design a home that incorporates ways to move more naturally?

Get rid of the remote.
It may sound silly, but toss the remote and get up and change the dial when you watch TV. Better yet, cancel cable, and watch less TV. Take an evening walk, or read in bed and get a good nights rest instead.

Take the stairs.
I used to live in a fourth floor walk up in Brooklyn. A girlfriend lived in a seven story walk up. She didn’t need to squat or lunge, getting the mail was a workout! Next time you shop, visit the office, run in the park, find a pair of stairs and take them! Certainly avoid elevators at all costs!

Garden.
Plant a garden and get busy! It’s a great way to unwind, and break a sweat at the same time! All those great flowers and yummy vegetables aren’t going to harvest themselves!

Get rid of the garage door opener.
Better yet, get rid of the car! Buy a bicycle and use it more often than your car. Save on gas and save the environment!

Cook!
Skip the take out and get busy in the kitchen! Trying a new recipe, whipping your own whip cream, mincing and dicing and canning relishes and chutneys really is work! I know it might not sound like much, but cooking is a great activity that really gets you moving!

Perfect Posture?

Written by Kathryn Savage

For many a “desk jockey” back aches and neck cramps are just the cost of doing business. Ask any graduate student, advertising executive, truck driver or freelance writer, and the common complaint of aches and pains that accompany sitting in one spot for long hours can be heard loud and clear.

Some of us are turning to aspirin, others are turning to 19th Century remedies. A longtime favorite among actors and dancers, the Alexander Technique’s popularity is spreading to the seated and hunched.

It’s a technique based on mindful movement, from what I gather in a recent article in the Star Tribune. The result? Less back pain and tension. Potentially, less stress. I'm giving it a try. Want to learn more?

Read more on the Alexander Technique here.

Exercise, One Step at a Time!

Written by Kathryn Savage

Remember the movie Forrest Gump? Remember when Forrest woke up one day and started running and he just kept running? Well, I’m no Forest Gump but I do think there is something to the notion that the hardest part about doing anything is starting. Once you get going the rest is no big deal! (But the benefits usually are.)

Poked and Prodded, Health.com’s health and wellness blog offers a few great tips about easy ways to move, and the benefits of simply walking. What are some of the benefits?

Walking:

• Protects your bones
• Staves off senior moments
• Prevents weight gain
• Relieves depression

How to get more steps in? Poked and Prodded recommends parking your car far away from the office, avoiding elevators, playing golf, and gardening.

What are unique ways that you can get more paces in each day?

FEATURE: Sleep Deprivation Linked to Obesity

Written by Kathryn Savage

These scientists just keep making it harder for me to continue my bad habits! And now it appears all us night owls are under attack! Sleep deprivation is linked to obesity. Not getting enough sleep lowers the protein hormone leptin, scientists say. Leptin suppresses appetite, and its absence may make you hungrier during the day if you skimp on sleep.

A good night's rest is a losing battle, losing to the demands of kids, careers, and computers. Modern life makes a goodnights rest a hard thing to achieve. To be sure, lack of sleep is be a regular part of life, but that doesn't make it good for you. A number of recent studies explain that not sleeping enough, or sleeping at strange hours may increase your risk factors for a wide array of illnesses including cancer, heart disease and obesity.

FEATURE: How To Move Like A Centenarian

Written by Kathryn Savage

Centenarians around the globe don’t pump iron, they don’t run marathons or spend long hours sweating to the oldies. Instead, they make time for regular, steady movement throughout the day.

Movement and healthy eating should be more-often-than-nots. You eat well more often than not. You workout (walk, hike, chop wood, do yoga, vacuum, hand-whip whipped cream, whatever) more often than not.

In other words, you make moving an unavoidable and fun part of your day. Every day. Most male centenarians in Sardinia’s Blue Zone work as shepherds, a profession that involves a lot of interval-cardio. What? Cardio isn’t the first thing you think of when you think of shepherds? They spend long hours every day walking up and down hillsides. Sounds pretty intense to me. The most I lift while working is a coffee mug. Sometimes a cookie or two. Okinawans? They spend an average three hours daily in their gardens harvesting their own food. And Adventists in Loma Linda, California relax and take nature walks together.

Be warned, gardening and walking won’t be sufficient if your goal is weight loss. If you want to lose weight you are best off reducing calorie intake. (Not very groundbreaking, I’ll admit) But if your focus is on overall, lifelong health and reaching triple digits, an ideal routine would include a combo of aerobic, stretching and muscle-strengthening.

FEATURE: Four Healthy Behaviors Might Add Fourteen Healthy Years!

Written by Kathryn Savage

	Even if you're no spring chicken, you can adopt life-lengthening habits.

Four simple (not to be confused with easy) behaviors might add fourteen extra healthy years to your life!

The four behaviors are not smoking, moderate alcohol intake, regular exercise and a healthy diet filled with lots of fruits and vegetables.

People who consistently demonstrate these behaviors live an average of fourteen additional years compared with people who don’t make these healthy choices.

What are great ways to start adopting these behaviors today?

How Your Dog Can Help You Move Mindlessly

Written by Kathryn Savage

Moving mindlessly is a BlueZones concept that means integrating low-level physical activity into your daily routine. The healthiest, longest-living people in the world aren't gym-rats; but they have habits that promote or even require moderate, sustained exercise every day.

What, you don't have a herd of sheep you need to lead out to pasture in the hills every morning? Not to worry! Try thinking of other ways to encourage yourself to move mindlessly! Here are some things my dog has taught me about this subject:

1. Running is the most fun thing ever.
2. Running after anything that moves is better.
3. Have an adventurous spirit - he has never let his lack of opposable thumbs stop him from believing he can climb a tree. After a squirrel.
4. Drink lots water daily. Lots and lots and lots of water.
5. Weight training rules - tug of war anyone?
6. Repeat daily. In his case, repeat ten times daily.